Watch: How ILM's Work on 'Jurassic Park' Changed Movies Forever

Twenty-one years ago today, Jurassic Park roared into theaters and movies were never quite the same again. I can still remember seeing the film the night before its debut (I was a theater manager at the time, and we screened the print early to make sure it was ready for public viewing), and being absolutely blown away by how real the dinosaurs looked. I’d seen some good CGI prior to that moment – mostly in Terminator 2 – but this work from the guys at Industrial Light & Magic was on a whole other level.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has put together this excellent 10-minute short documentary chronicling how the guys at ILM changed movies forever with their work on Spielberg’s giant dinosaur film.

It’s funny to look back now and realize what a risk this was for the company – and it’s even funnier to think that Jurassic Park was almost made using stop-motion dinosaur action mixed with costumes and puppets.

The video takes viewers behind the scenes of the project, showing how upstart ILM employees took it upon themselves to create CG dinosaurs on their own time with no guarantee that anyone would ever see their work. If you love stories of people triumphing in the face of potential adversity, or just the magic of filmmaking, you’ll certainly want to watch this video. Check it out below.

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